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Political News and Headlines From ABC News Radioen-us(c) ABC News RadioWhite House sources: Special counsel's team never requested to speak with Omarosa Manigault Newman while she was a White House stafferhttp://wbch.com/news/political-news/025dfdca22b5aa0444fb90a98b4472e9
Tue, 14 Aug 2018 14:34:00 -0500http://wbch.com/news/political-news/025dfdca22b5aa0444fb90a98b4472e9Alex Wong/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Sources close to the White House tell ABC News that the team that worked with Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s office for interviews with Trump administration employees never had Omarosa Manigault-Newman on their list and the special counsel never requested to speak with her while she a White House staffer.

Sources go on to tell ABC News as far as the White House is aware she never met with the special counsel during that time. Mueller’s team contacted the Trump legal team anytime they had a request to speak with an administration member.

Manigault Newman claimed on MSNBC this afternoon that she has been interviewed by the special counsel’s office.

It’s unclear when that alleged interview would have happened.

The special counsel has not responded to an ABC News request for comment.

]]>Alex Wong/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Sources close to the White House tell ABC News that the team that worked with Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s office for interviews with Trump administration employees never had Omarosa Manigault-Newman on their list and the special counsel never requested to speak with her while she a White House staffer.

Sources go on to tell ABC News as far as the White House is aware she never met with the special counsel during that time. Mueller’s team contacted the Trump legal team anytime they had a request to speak with an administration member.

Manigault Newman claimed on MSNBC this afternoon that she has been interviewed by the special counsel’s office.

It’s unclear when that alleged interview would have happened.

The special counsel has not responded to an ABC News request for comment.

Her latest comments come on the heels of his campaign filing arbitration against the reality tv star on Tuesday morning in New York for allegations that she violated her non-disclosure agreement with the Trump campaign.

"I don't believe that I have violated, but I will leave it to the lawyers to sort it out," she told MSNBC. "It is interesting that he is trying to silence me. And what is he trying to hide or (is) afraid of? If he had not said anything that is derogatory or demeaning to African-Americans and women, why would he go to the extent to shut me down?"

In a statement to ABC News, a senior Trump campaign official confirmed to ABC News the: “Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. has filed an arbitration against Manigault-Newman with the American Arbitration Association in New York City, for breach of her 2016 confidentiality agreement with the Trump Campaign. President Trump is well known for giving people opportunities to advance in their careers and lives over the decades, but wrong is wrong, and a direct violation of an agreement must be addressed and the violator must be held accountable.”

Like all employees of the Trump presidential campaign, Manigault-Newman was required to sign a non-disclosure agreement. That agreement, as described by a source familiar with its contents, tells ABC News it sought to protect the president, the Trump family, Trump Organization.

In her new book, “Unhinged”, Manigault-Newman says she was offered a position in the Trump 2020 re-election campaign but was asked to sign another non-disclosure agreement. A source familiar with that agreement tells ABC News the difference between the previous agreement she signed and the new one was that this new agreement included Vice President Mike Pence and his family.

Her latest comments come on the heels of his campaign filing arbitration against the reality tv star on Tuesday morning in New York for allegations that she violated her non-disclosure agreement with the Trump campaign.

"I don't believe that I have violated, but I will leave it to the lawyers to sort it out," she told MSNBC. "It is interesting that he is trying to silence me. And what is he trying to hide or (is) afraid of? If he had not said anything that is derogatory or demeaning to African-Americans and women, why would he go to the extent to shut me down?"

In a statement to ABC News, a senior Trump campaign official confirmed to ABC News the: “Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. has filed an arbitration against Manigault-Newman with the American Arbitration Association in New York City, for breach of her 2016 confidentiality agreement with the Trump Campaign. President Trump is well known for giving people opportunities to advance in their careers and lives over the decades, but wrong is wrong, and a direct violation of an agreement must be addressed and the violator must be held accountable.”

Like all employees of the Trump presidential campaign, Manigault-Newman was required to sign a non-disclosure agreement. That agreement, as described by a source familiar with its contents, tells ABC News it sought to protect the president, the Trump family, Trump Organization.

In her new book, “Unhinged”, Manigault-Newman says she was offered a position in the Trump 2020 re-election campaign but was asked to sign another non-disclosure agreement. A source familiar with that agreement tells ABC News the difference between the previous agreement she signed and the new one was that this new agreement included Vice President Mike Pence and his family.

“The defense rests,” Manafort’s lead attorney Kevin Downing said in court on Tuesday.

Government prosecutors from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s office rested their case on Monday, so without a defense, the jury is expected to begin deliberations following closing arguments.

Legal experts told ABC News this strategy is common but risky.

“This is very common after prosecution rests to file a motion saying they didn’t meet the burden beyond a reasonable doubt,” said former homeland security official and ABC New contributor John Cohen. “Typically, this doesn’t work.”

“The defense rests,” Manafort’s lead attorney Kevin Downing said in court on Tuesday.

Government prosecutors from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s office rested their case on Monday, so without a defense, the jury is expected to begin deliberations following closing arguments.

Legal experts told ABC News this strategy is common but risky.

“This is very common after prosecution rests to file a motion saying they didn’t meet the burden beyond a reasonable doubt,” said former homeland security official and ABC New contributor John Cohen. “Typically, this doesn’t work.”

"When you give a crazed, crying lowlife a break, and give her a job at the White House, I guess it just didn’t work out. Good work by General Kelly for quickly firing that dog!" Trump tweeted.

The president's tweet came after claims of racism made by Manigault Newman late Monday, saying no tape exists of his using the N-word and referring to himself as a "true champion of civil rights."

Trump blasted Manigault, who served as Director of Communications for the Office of Public Liaison until her firing in January, for the claims in her new book that she heard tapes of him saying the N-word.

He has spent much of the last two days blasting the former "Apprentice" star after Manigault leaked a recording of her firing by Chief of Staff John Kelly on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday. On Monday, he said he spoke to "Apprentice" producer Mark Burnett and said no tapes exist of him using "that word."

Trump claimed "I don't have that word in my vocabulary and never have. She made it up."

There was some confusion over whether Manigault had actually heard him use the word on tape or if she was just told about him using it. She attempted to clear up that discrepancy -- in her book she says she didn't hear it herself -- when she said she heard him use the N-word after the book had gone to press.

After calling her a "low-life" a day earlier, he referred to Manigault as "deranged" in Monday's tweets.

Manigault released audio of her conversation with Kelly on Sunday and then followed that up by releasing a conversation with Trump himself on Monday's "Today" show. She played just a brief clip -- not independently verified by NBC -- in which the president seemed surprised by her exit and said he was not responsible.

It's unknown whether Manigault recorded any other conversations during her time at the White House, when she was the most senior African-American in the West Wing.

Trump has been accused of racist behavior many times over the past two years since he took office. He's been accused of racial insensitivity in everything from his criticism of NFL players' protests to LeBron James' intelligence and his statement that there were "very fine people on both sides" at the Charlottesville riots in August 2017.

"He has not gone far enough," Cummings said. "I think it's a low bar for the president of the United States to simply say he's against racism. He's got to do better than that."

Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway appeared on the same show Sunday and said she wouldn't be working for Trump if he was racist.

"I have never a single time heard him use a racial slur about anyone. I also never heard Omarosa complain that he had done that, and so the only thing that's changed is that she's now selling books," Conway said.

]]>Alex Wong/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- President Trump fired off a nasty tweet at his former aide Omarosa Maigault Newman Tuesday, calling her a "lowlife" and a "dog."

"When you give a crazed, crying lowlife a break, and give her a job at the White House, I guess it just didn’t work out. Good work by General Kelly for quickly firing that dog!" Trump tweeted.

The president's tweet came after claims of racism made by Manigault Newman late Monday, saying no tape exists of his using the N-word and referring to himself as a "true champion of civil rights."

Trump blasted Manigault, who served as Director of Communications for the Office of Public Liaison until her firing in January, for the claims in her new book that she heard tapes of him saying the N-word.

He has spent much of the last two days blasting the former "Apprentice" star after Manigault leaked a recording of her firing by Chief of Staff John Kelly on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday. On Monday, he said he spoke to "Apprentice" producer Mark Burnett and said no tapes exist of him using "that word."

Trump claimed "I don't have that word in my vocabulary and never have. She made it up."

There was some confusion over whether Manigault had actually heard him use the word on tape or if she was just told about him using it. She attempted to clear up that discrepancy -- in her book she says she didn't hear it herself -- when she said she heard him use the N-word after the book had gone to press.

After calling her a "low-life" a day earlier, he referred to Manigault as "deranged" in Monday's tweets.

Manigault released audio of her conversation with Kelly on Sunday and then followed that up by releasing a conversation with Trump himself on Monday's "Today" show. She played just a brief clip -- not independently verified by NBC -- in which the president seemed surprised by her exit and said he was not responsible.

It's unknown whether Manigault recorded any other conversations during her time at the White House, when she was the most senior African-American in the West Wing.

Trump has been accused of racist behavior many times over the past two years since he took office. He's been accused of racial insensitivity in everything from his criticism of NFL players' protests to LeBron James' intelligence and his statement that there were "very fine people on both sides" at the Charlottesville riots in August 2017.

"He has not gone far enough," Cummings said. "I think it's a low bar for the president of the United States to simply say he's against racism. He's got to do better than that."

Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway appeared on the same show Sunday and said she wouldn't be working for Trump if he was racist.

"I have never a single time heard him use a racial slur about anyone. I also never heard Omarosa complain that he had done that, and so the only thing that's changed is that she's now selling books," Conway said.

]]>Governors' races take on an understated but outsize role in 2018 landscapehttp://wbch.com/news/political-news/0c99473f37642eb1954e7c0af886c914
Tue, 14 Aug 2018 06:29:00 -0500http://wbch.com/news/political-news/0c99473f37642eb1954e7c0af886c914Bob Falcetti/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Less than three months out from the first major election since the inauguration of President Donald Trump, much of the national focus remains on high-profile U.S. Senate and House races that could determine control of Congress.

But while millions of dollars pour into those important congressional races, voters in 36 states will choose governors this year, including 26 currently under Republican control. That has Democrats hoping for a resurgence on the state level in places where they’ve been pushed out of power.

The wide range of gubernatorial contests has seen Democrats looking to expand the map into red states where they have not been competitive for years. At the same time, Republicans are looking for unique opportunities to pick up seats in states that may tilt blue in presidential years but trend purple in off-year and statewide races.

Following the 2008 elections, the Democratic Party held 32 governorships. In the aftermath of the Republican wave election of 2010, the balance of power in governorships was flipped, and the GOP took control of 32 seats nationwide, a dramatic shift that has endured for the rest of the decade.

Wisconsin a test case for Democratic inroadsRepublicans have total control of half of the state legislatures across the country and make up 56 percent of state legislators, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).

Democrats are eyeing an end to the GOP dominance on the state level this cycle, a road that runs through states like Wisconsin, where the party views Gov. Scott Walker, who is running for a third full term, as particularly vulnerable.

"In Wisconsin, Scott Walker is right. He is in deep, deep trouble. It is very difficult to see how he survives," Democratic Governors Association Chairman Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington State told ABC News.

A recent NBC News/Marist poll showed Walker trailing Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers, one of eight Democrats competing in Tuesday’s primary to take on Walker in November, by 13 points.

Other Democratic contenders in the crowded and complicated primary include former state lawmaker Kelda Roys, the African-American leader of a state firefighter union Mahlon Mitchell, former state Democratic Party chair Matt Flynn, Madison Mayor Paul Soglin and state lawmaker Kathleen Vineout. Whoever emerges from the crowd Tuesday has a tall task in unseating Walker, who alongside the state GOP has built a powerful infrastructure in the state that has allowed him to win two full terms and survive a recall election in 2012.

That a state like Wisconsin, which has trended red in recent cycles and in 2016 sided with the Republican nominee for president for the first time since 1984, is in play for Democrats this year shows the breadth of the opportunity they see for pickups on the state level.

Democrats view the Midwest as a particularly fertile ground to pick up governorships this cycle. In addition to Wisconsin, the open seat races in Michigan and Iowa are possible pickup opportunities. In Illinois, GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner is viewed as the most vulnerable Republican in the country, and Democrats are hoping that the deep pockets of Hyatt hotel chain heir J.B. Pritzker will help them take back control of the governor’s mansion.

There are 15 governorships currently held by Republicans that the University of Virginia (UVA) Center for Politics rates as either "Lean Republican" or "Toss-up," giving Democrats a vital opportunity to rebuild their strength at the state level.

"This year’s midterm is absolutely critical to regaining Democrat strength in governorships and also state legislative seats, where Democrats lost well over 900 during Obama’s two terms as president," Larry Sabato, director of the UVA Center for Politics, told ABC News. "Redistricting is coming up in 2021-22, and most of the people elected this year will be in office then. Democrats got skunked in 2011-2012 in redrawing the lines, and they can’t afford to let that happen again."

"With 26 GOP governorships on the chopping block and only 9 Democratic ones, this is the exact mirror of the Senate elections," Sabato added. "Just as Democrats are disadvantaged in the Senate by having to defend so much territory, so too are Republicans in the governorships."

Other key pickup opportunities for Democrats include blue states like Maine and New Mexico, where term-limited GOP governors are likely to give way to well-funded and established Democratic candidates. In Maine, Democrats nominated state Attorney General Janet Mills, who has the chance to be the first female governor in its history, and in New Mexico Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham is looking to succeed GOP Gov. Susana Martinez.

Democrats are also hoping to compete in redder states where a favorable national political environment could help push compelling candidates over the top. States like Georgia, where Stacey Abrams is aiming to become the nation’s first female African-American governor, Kansas, where a bitter GOP primary may drag on for weeks in a recount, and South Dakota, where state lawmaker Billie Sutton is running as a "prairie populist," hoping to appeal to the state’s overwhelmingly conservative electorate.

But despite the Democratic optimism, there are still states where Republicans see opportunities to go on offense.

GOP sees opportunity in 'purple' territory

Democrats' strategy of exploiting Trump's unpopularity to energize voters might be creating gains in some red states, but in historically blue states, a changing of the guard might be coming.

Connecticut and Minnesota voters are less than 24 hours away from shaping the ballot for the next chief executive, and with the specter of a blue wave looming over the GOP across the country, Democrats in these states are contending with a similar, deeply troubling reality: Republicans taking back the governorship.

The Nutmeg State has not supported a Republican nominee for president since 1988 and Democrats hold a tight grip on federal offices: Both Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal and all five congressional representatives are Democrats. In the Land of Ten Thousand Lakes, the GOP has not won a statewide election in over a decade, both U.S. Senators are Democrats, and Democratic House members outnumber their Republican counterparts 5-3.

But there is growing optimism for the Republican Party at the state level, where Connecticut’s state Senate is evenly tied and Democrats are defending a slim 9-seat majority in the state House, and the GOP controls both chambers of Minnesota's state legislature. It wasn’t that long ago that the top office in either of these states was held by a Republican -- former Gov. Jodi Rell in Connecticut who preceded Malloy before he was elected in 2010, and former Minnesota governor and now-candidate Tim Pawlenty in 2011.

In a state in which among registered voters, Democrats outnumber Republicans by about 5 to 3, Connecticut is shifting from a deep blue towards purple in the Trump era, and in a strong signal of the state’s dissatisfaction with a stagnant economy and Democratic Gov. Dannel Malloy -- who is not seeking re-election -- the race for the state’s top office is a toss-up.

Five Republican contenders are seizing on the opening to succeed Malloy: Bob Stefanowski, Stephen Obsitnik and David Stemerman are all political outsiders coming from the upper echelons of the private sector; and Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, the GOP-endorsed candidate, and former Trumbull First Selectman Tim Herbst, are tethering their candidacies to their experience in local politics.

The GOP primary echoes a reappearing theme this cycle, one that is splitting the party in races with a crowded field: voters must choose between establishment, politically experienced candidates and Washington outsiders that bring a 2016 Trump-like style to the trail.

Tapping into the more rural, blue-collar parts of the state that better reflect Trump country than the Golden Coast, the Republicans have focused on blaming Malloy for the current state of the economy and promising a comeback for Connecticut by embracing the president’s agenda.

On the Democratic side, Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim is challenging Greenwich-based cable television executive, Ned Lamont, who secured the party’s endorsement in May. Ganim is no stranger to underdog status -- he made a stunning return to Connecticut politics in 2015 when he was elected to a sixth term as mayor after serving seven years in prison for corruption.

Making the case for his candidacy, Ganim said in a statement to ABC News, "It is important for Democrats to pick a candidate to run for governor who connects with ordinary working people in the state of Connecticut and I am that candidate."

But Lamont is confident that he will be successful as the outsider candidate Tuesday.

"I think we're in a pretty strong position but I have to earn it every second," Lamont told ABC News. "We're gonna come in as an outsider, a problem-solver who makes the changes to get Connecticut moving again."

Yet some political experts are wary about the Democrats' grip on the state.

"You wouldn’t expect Connecticut to vote for a Republican," said Geoffrey Skelley at the University of Virginia Center for Politics. "However, Malloy is really unpopular."

Halfway across the country, in another staunchly blue state, is a toss-up race and possible Democratic anomaly in 2018. Minnesota’s gubernatorial contest to succeed sitting Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton is turning into an opportunity for Republicans to capture the governorship. Leading that effort is presumptive front-runner Pawlenty.

After serving two terms as governor from 2003-2011 and launching a comeback bid for his old job, the former governor and presidential candidate is using name recognition and a deep chest of fundraising cash to fuel Republican energy.

Pawlenty, who skipped the Republican convention, is also hinging his hopes on the Trump factor. Hillary Clinton won the state narrowly in 2016, by less than 2 percentage points.

Pawlenty faced a few stumbles early on, including losing the party’s endorsement to Jeff Johnson, the 2014 Republican nominee. But he is still favored in Tuesday’s primary, according to the NBC News/Marist poll, which puts him in the lead by 15 points.

A lot is at stake for Democrats to stem a "red wave" in this liberal stronghold, as the next governor will be involved in redrawing Minnesota’s congressional map for the next decade after the 2020 census, possibly reshaping the balance of power in Congress.

The Democratic field is a tight three-way fight between Rep. Erin Murphy, who clinched the party’s endorsement, Rep. Tim Walz and the more moderate Attorney General Lori Swanson.

According to the NBC News/Marist poll, the top two contenders are neck-in-neck: Swanson captures 28 percent support from registered voters, compared to Walz’s 27 percent. State Rep. Erin Murphy trails with only 13 percent of voters.

With a strong candidate at the top of the ticket in what is expected to be a competitive general election race, Minnesota Republicans may have a fighting chance to propel Pawlenty to the governor’s mansion.

Victories are looking more and more possible for Republicans, who are targeting governorships in Alaska, Minnesota, and Connecticut, according to Sabato.

"Realistically, that’s their playing field," he said.

Connecticut and Minnesota are in the GOP’s crosshairs, and these deep blue states represent outliers for Democrats this cycle. But voters will ultimately decide who lands on the general ballot, and usher in a fierce yet uncertain November.

]]>Bob Falcetti/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Less than three months out from the first major election since the inauguration of President Donald Trump, much of the national focus remains on high-profile U.S. Senate and House races that could determine control of Congress.

But while millions of dollars pour into those important congressional races, voters in 36 states will choose governors this year, including 26 currently under Republican control. That has Democrats hoping for a resurgence on the state level in places where they’ve been pushed out of power.

The wide range of gubernatorial contests has seen Democrats looking to expand the map into red states where they have not been competitive for years. At the same time, Republicans are looking for unique opportunities to pick up seats in states that may tilt blue in presidential years but trend purple in off-year and statewide races.

Following the 2008 elections, the Democratic Party held 32 governorships. In the aftermath of the Republican wave election of 2010, the balance of power in governorships was flipped, and the GOP took control of 32 seats nationwide, a dramatic shift that has endured for the rest of the decade.

Wisconsin a test case for Democratic inroadsRepublicans have total control of half of the state legislatures across the country and make up 56 percent of state legislators, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).

Democrats are eyeing an end to the GOP dominance on the state level this cycle, a road that runs through states like Wisconsin, where the party views Gov. Scott Walker, who is running for a third full term, as particularly vulnerable.

"In Wisconsin, Scott Walker is right. He is in deep, deep trouble. It is very difficult to see how he survives," Democratic Governors Association Chairman Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington State told ABC News.

A recent NBC News/Marist poll showed Walker trailing Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers, one of eight Democrats competing in Tuesday’s primary to take on Walker in November, by 13 points.

Other Democratic contenders in the crowded and complicated primary include former state lawmaker Kelda Roys, the African-American leader of a state firefighter union Mahlon Mitchell, former state Democratic Party chair Matt Flynn, Madison Mayor Paul Soglin and state lawmaker Kathleen Vineout. Whoever emerges from the crowd Tuesday has a tall task in unseating Walker, who alongside the state GOP has built a powerful infrastructure in the state that has allowed him to win two full terms and survive a recall election in 2012.

That a state like Wisconsin, which has trended red in recent cycles and in 2016 sided with the Republican nominee for president for the first time since 1984, is in play for Democrats this year shows the breadth of the opportunity they see for pickups on the state level.

Democrats view the Midwest as a particularly fertile ground to pick up governorships this cycle. In addition to Wisconsin, the open seat races in Michigan and Iowa are possible pickup opportunities. In Illinois, GOP Gov. Bruce Rauner is viewed as the most vulnerable Republican in the country, and Democrats are hoping that the deep pockets of Hyatt hotel chain heir J.B. Pritzker will help them take back control of the governor’s mansion.

There are 15 governorships currently held by Republicans that the University of Virginia (UVA) Center for Politics rates as either "Lean Republican" or "Toss-up," giving Democrats a vital opportunity to rebuild their strength at the state level.

"This year’s midterm is absolutely critical to regaining Democrat strength in governorships and also state legislative seats, where Democrats lost well over 900 during Obama’s two terms as president," Larry Sabato, director of the UVA Center for Politics, told ABC News. "Redistricting is coming up in 2021-22, and most of the people elected this year will be in office then. Democrats got skunked in 2011-2012 in redrawing the lines, and they can’t afford to let that happen again."

"With 26 GOP governorships on the chopping block and only 9 Democratic ones, this is the exact mirror of the Senate elections," Sabato added. "Just as Democrats are disadvantaged in the Senate by having to defend so much territory, so too are Republicans in the governorships."

Other key pickup opportunities for Democrats include blue states like Maine and New Mexico, where term-limited GOP governors are likely to give way to well-funded and established Democratic candidates. In Maine, Democrats nominated state Attorney General Janet Mills, who has the chance to be the first female governor in its history, and in New Mexico Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham is looking to succeed GOP Gov. Susana Martinez.

Democrats are also hoping to compete in redder states where a favorable national political environment could help push compelling candidates over the top. States like Georgia, where Stacey Abrams is aiming to become the nation’s first female African-American governor, Kansas, where a bitter GOP primary may drag on for weeks in a recount, and South Dakota, where state lawmaker Billie Sutton is running as a "prairie populist," hoping to appeal to the state’s overwhelmingly conservative electorate.

But despite the Democratic optimism, there are still states where Republicans see opportunities to go on offense.

GOP sees opportunity in 'purple' territory

Democrats' strategy of exploiting Trump's unpopularity to energize voters might be creating gains in some red states, but in historically blue states, a changing of the guard might be coming.

Connecticut and Minnesota voters are less than 24 hours away from shaping the ballot for the next chief executive, and with the specter of a blue wave looming over the GOP across the country, Democrats in these states are contending with a similar, deeply troubling reality: Republicans taking back the governorship.

The Nutmeg State has not supported a Republican nominee for president since 1988 and Democrats hold a tight grip on federal offices: Both Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal and all five congressional representatives are Democrats. In the Land of Ten Thousand Lakes, the GOP has not won a statewide election in over a decade, both U.S. Senators are Democrats, and Democratic House members outnumber their Republican counterparts 5-3.

But there is growing optimism for the Republican Party at the state level, where Connecticut’s state Senate is evenly tied and Democrats are defending a slim 9-seat majority in the state House, and the GOP controls both chambers of Minnesota's state legislature. It wasn’t that long ago that the top office in either of these states was held by a Republican -- former Gov. Jodi Rell in Connecticut who preceded Malloy before he was elected in 2010, and former Minnesota governor and now-candidate Tim Pawlenty in 2011.

In a state in which among registered voters, Democrats outnumber Republicans by about 5 to 3, Connecticut is shifting from a deep blue towards purple in the Trump era, and in a strong signal of the state’s dissatisfaction with a stagnant economy and Democratic Gov. Dannel Malloy -- who is not seeking re-election -- the race for the state’s top office is a toss-up.

Five Republican contenders are seizing on the opening to succeed Malloy: Bob Stefanowski, Stephen Obsitnik and David Stemerman are all political outsiders coming from the upper echelons of the private sector; and Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, the GOP-endorsed candidate, and former Trumbull First Selectman Tim Herbst, are tethering their candidacies to their experience in local politics.

The GOP primary echoes a reappearing theme this cycle, one that is splitting the party in races with a crowded field: voters must choose between establishment, politically experienced candidates and Washington outsiders that bring a 2016 Trump-like style to the trail.

Tapping into the more rural, blue-collar parts of the state that better reflect Trump country than the Golden Coast, the Republicans have focused on blaming Malloy for the current state of the economy and promising a comeback for Connecticut by embracing the president’s agenda.

On the Democratic side, Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim is challenging Greenwich-based cable television executive, Ned Lamont, who secured the party’s endorsement in May. Ganim is no stranger to underdog status -- he made a stunning return to Connecticut politics in 2015 when he was elected to a sixth term as mayor after serving seven years in prison for corruption.

Making the case for his candidacy, Ganim said in a statement to ABC News, "It is important for Democrats to pick a candidate to run for governor who connects with ordinary working people in the state of Connecticut and I am that candidate."

But Lamont is confident that he will be successful as the outsider candidate Tuesday.

"I think we're in a pretty strong position but I have to earn it every second," Lamont told ABC News. "We're gonna come in as an outsider, a problem-solver who makes the changes to get Connecticut moving again."

Yet some political experts are wary about the Democrats' grip on the state.

"You wouldn’t expect Connecticut to vote for a Republican," said Geoffrey Skelley at the University of Virginia Center for Politics. "However, Malloy is really unpopular."

Halfway across the country, in another staunchly blue state, is a toss-up race and possible Democratic anomaly in 2018. Minnesota’s gubernatorial contest to succeed sitting Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton is turning into an opportunity for Republicans to capture the governorship. Leading that effort is presumptive front-runner Pawlenty.

After serving two terms as governor from 2003-2011 and launching a comeback bid for his old job, the former governor and presidential candidate is using name recognition and a deep chest of fundraising cash to fuel Republican energy.

Pawlenty, who skipped the Republican convention, is also hinging his hopes on the Trump factor. Hillary Clinton won the state narrowly in 2016, by less than 2 percentage points.

Pawlenty faced a few stumbles early on, including losing the party’s endorsement to Jeff Johnson, the 2014 Republican nominee. But he is still favored in Tuesday’s primary, according to the NBC News/Marist poll, which puts him in the lead by 15 points.

A lot is at stake for Democrats to stem a "red wave" in this liberal stronghold, as the next governor will be involved in redrawing Minnesota’s congressional map for the next decade after the 2020 census, possibly reshaping the balance of power in Congress.

The Democratic field is a tight three-way fight between Rep. Erin Murphy, who clinched the party’s endorsement, Rep. Tim Walz and the more moderate Attorney General Lori Swanson.

According to the NBC News/Marist poll, the top two contenders are neck-in-neck: Swanson captures 28 percent support from registered voters, compared to Walz’s 27 percent. State Rep. Erin Murphy trails with only 13 percent of voters.

With a strong candidate at the top of the ticket in what is expected to be a competitive general election race, Minnesota Republicans may have a fighting chance to propel Pawlenty to the governor’s mansion.

Victories are looking more and more possible for Republicans, who are targeting governorships in Alaska, Minnesota, and Connecticut, according to Sabato.

"Realistically, that’s their playing field," he said.

Connecticut and Minnesota are in the GOP’s crosshairs, and these deep blue states represent outliers for Democrats this cycle. But voters will ultimately decide who lands on the general ballot, and usher in a fierce yet uncertain November.

]]>Connecticut, Minnesota, Vermont and Wisconsin head to the polls as primary season continueshttp://wbch.com/news/political-news/8e8cc79a5bed225d22ed888adff4ee73
Tue, 14 Aug 2018 06:24:00 -0500http://wbch.com/news/political-news/8e8cc79a5bed225d22ed888adff4ee73iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Voters in Connecticut, Minnesota, Vermont and Wisconsin head to the polls Tuesday as primary season slowly begins to give way to what promises to be a highly competitive general election in races across the country.

Governorships and U.S. Senate seats are up in all four states holding primaries, and both parties are again watching to see which candidates emerge victorious and advance to November. A combined 22 U.S. House seats are also at stake in the states voting Tuesday, many of which could factor heavily into the balance of power in Congress' lower chamber this fall.

Here's a look at some of the key storylines and races the ABC News Politics team will be watching on Tuesday.

Wisconsin a political barometer of the Midwest

Donald Trump's 2016 victory in Wisconsin was the first for a Republican presidential candidate since 1984, and now the state faces yet another test of its political identity on Tuesday.

Gov. Scott Walker is running for a third full term this cycle, which presents yet another chance for Democrats to defeat the former presidential candidate and longtime foe. The Democratic primary is a crowded and complicated field of eight candidates all vying to take on Walker and flip one of a number of Midwestern gubernatorial seats that fallen out of their grasp in recent years.

The top candidates on the Democratic side include Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers, former state lawmaker Kelda Roys, the African-American leader of a state firefighters union, Mahlon Mitchell, former state Democratic Party chair Matt Flynn, Madison Mayor Paul Soglin and state lawmaker Kathleen Vineout. Whoever emerges from the crowd Tuesday has a tall task in unseating Walker, who alongside the state GOP has built a powerful infrastructure in the state that has allowed him to win two full terms and survive a recall election in 2012.

Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin is also up for re-election this cycle, and the GOP primary to take her on in November has been a bitter battle between state lawmaker Leah Vukmir and U.S. Marine Corps veteran Kevin Nicholson.

Vukmir won the endorsement of the state GOP last month and has the backing of House Speaker Paul Ryan, while Nicholson has attempted to paint himself as a political outsider taking on a party insider. Hope for Democratic victories in the state were bolstered by special election wins in a state Supreme Court race and for a number of state senate seats, and losing Baldwin's seat would be a large blow to the party's hopes of taking back control of the U.S. Senate.

The liberal Baldwin, the Senate's first openly gay member, is one of 10 Democratic incumbents up this cycle in a state that Donald Trump won in the 2016 presidential election.

GOP on offense in Minnesota

While Republicans are likely to lose a number of U.S. House seats this cycle, the state of Minnesota presents the GOP a rare chance to go on offense in a year where they are almost exclusively playing political defense.

The retirement of Rep. Rick Nolan in the state's 8th Congressional District and the decision by Rep. Tim Walz in the state's 1st Congressional District to run for governor has given Republicans hopes that they could gain seats in a year where the national political environment is less than favorable.

While Donald Trump narrowly lost Minnesota in the 2016 election, he carried both the 1st and 8th congressional districts by more than 15 points -- another factor that makes these open-seat races highly competitive. Army veteran Dan Feehan, a former acting assistant secretary of Defense in the Obama administration, is the candidate with the backing of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party and is on the DCCC’s “Red to Blue” list for top-tier candidates.

The Republican race in the 1st District is between state Sen. Carla Nelson and Jim Hagedorn, who has been the GOP nominee against Walz the last two cycle.

Democrats have held the 8th District in all but one congressional election since Harry Truman’s administration -- Republicans held it from 2011 to 2013, but with voters leaning to Trump, it may open the door for the GOP.

(MORE: Bredesen, Blackburn win Tennessee primary elections for Senate)Five Democrats have run to succeed Nolan, including Nolan’s former campaign manager Joe Radinovich. State Rep. Jason Metsa leads all Democrats in total fundraising. Republican candidate Pete Stauber, who campaigned with and has the backing of President Trump, leads the field in fundraising and will face former Duluth school board member Harry Welty.Vermont Democrats poised to make history

Phil Scott has cemented himself among the rare breed of popular Northeast Republican governors and is in solid position to win re-election this cycle.

But Scott's popularity will likely not stop Democrats in the state from making history by nominating Christine Hallquist, who would be the nation's first transgender woman to hold a governor's seat if she is able to win Tuesday's primary and pull an upset against Scott in November.

Hallquist, 62, is the former chief executive of the Vermont Electric Cooperative and said she is seeking to utilize both her local experience and national profile in a potential race against Scott.

"That’s how I want to be known in Vermont," Hallquist said of he progressive platform and executive experience in a recent interview with the Associated Press, "Nationally, I want to be known as the first trans candidate."

Other key races to watch:

Connecticut governor: In a counter to the conventional wisdom that Democrats have the advantage in 2018, the Nutmeg State may provide an opportunity for Republicans to make inroads in a typically blue state.

Incumbent Democratic Gov. Dan Malloy leaves office as one of the least popular governors in the nation, and several Republicans are trying to take advantage. The GOP primary has seen a similar embrace of Trump that we've seen in races across the country, but there's no way to know how that strategy will play out in a state that is deep blue in presidential cycles, but much more purple in gubernatorial races and off-year elections.

Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, who fell short in a run for the Republican nomination for Governor in 2014, has the backing of the Republican Party in advance of the primary and is running against former nominee for state treasurer, Tim Herbst, and businessmen Stephen Obsitnik, David Stemerman and Bob Stefanowski.

Democrats have backed a familiar name in state politics in businessman Ned Lamont, who ran for U.S. Senate in 2006 in a challenge to then-Senator Joe Lieberman. Lamont has the state party’s backing, but will have to defeat Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim.Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District: In the Connecticut district that includes some of the most Republican parts of the state, Democratic Rep. Elizabeth Esty is stepping aside after allegations that her chief of staff committed sexual assault.

Democrats have endorsed Mary Glassman, a former lieutenant governor candidate who served as First Selectman-- a similar position to mayor in other states-- of Simsbury. She will face Jahana Hayes, a former National Teacher of the Year and first-time candidate who received encouragement to run from Sen. Chris Murphy. Murphy, however, has not issued a formal endorsement in the race.

Republicans may have the opportunity to pick up their first congressional victory in the state in a decade, with three candidates throwing their hats in the ring for the seat-- former Meriden mayor Manny Santos, businessman Rich DuPont and retired professor Ruby Corby O’Neill.

Minnesota governor: The Land of Ten Thousand Lakes is another spot where Republicans will potentially be able to reverse the tide of the “Blue Wave,” as they may be able to ride the name recognition of a former Governor who wants another crack at the office.

Tim Pawlenty, former governor and Republican presidential candidate, has decided to run for his old job, but has stumbled a bit in the early going. Pawlenty lost the party endorsement to Jeff Johnson, the previous nominee in 2014, but is still favored in Tuesday’s primary.

If Pawlenty withstands Johnson’s challenge, he will face a tough battle against the winner of a Democratic-Farmer-Labor primary with several viable candidates. The focus, however, has been on the late decision by Attorney General Lori Swanson to run for governor, a move that triggered Rep. Keith Ellison to run for the newly open Attorney General post.

Swanson faces a difficult primary against Rep. Tim Walz, who decided to run for governor over re-election in the 1st district. Along with two high-profile candidates, the state Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party added an additional wrinkle when it endorsed the bid of state representative Erin Murphy, who supports a statewide single-payer healthcare system.

Democrats may have a slight advantage, as Republicans have not won a statewide election in over a decade, but considering that Trump came within 2 percentage points of winning the state in 2016, Republicans may have a fighting chance.

Minnesota U.S. Senate Special Election: Democrats will have a relative advantage in both of their Senate elections, as in addition to popular Senator Amy Klobuchar running for her regularly scheduled re-election, there will also be a special election to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Al Franken.

Sen. Tina Smith, appointed to the seat earlier this year, is facing an unconventional primary challenge from Richard Painter, a former White House ethics lawyer for George W. Bush. Painter, a former Republican, has become a vocal anti-Trump voice on Twitter and has leveraged his social media presence during his campaign.

Smith, however, has the endorsement of most Democratic leaders in the state as well as from Senate colleague Elizabeth Warren.

Republicans have a three-way primary, but the only candidate who has filed contributions with the FEC has been state senator Karin Housley.

Minnesota 2nd Congressional District: Incumbent Rep. Jason Lewis could have a more challenging re-election bid now that a CNN report has unearthed Lewis’ previous statements. Lewis referred to women as sluts and that African-Americans have an “entitlement mentality.”

The general election is all set, however, as no Republican is running against Lewis. Presumptive Democratic nominee Angie Craig will likely attempt to take advantage of Lewis’ attacks for the general election campaign, as she is running unopposed. Craig has been backed by progressive organizations including EMILY’s List and the Human Rights Campaign.

Both Democrats and Republicans have listed the race as a target for extra funds, which makes sense for a largely suburban district that has been decided by one point or less in the last two presidential elections -- Obama won it in 2012 while Trump won it in 2016.Minnesota 3rd Congressional District: Democrats have identified Republican Rep. Erik Paulsen’s seat as a potential target, as the 3rd district has backed Democrats in the last three presidential elections.

Paulsen has continued to survive in the suburban Twin Cities districts with a relatively moderate voting record and has distanced himself from Trump.

Democrats will seek to take advantage of a relatively favorable electorate in the 3rd District and have given extra financial support to Dean Phillips, the owner of a local coffee chain. Phillips has run on a progressive platform including Medicare-for-All and ending Citizens United.

If Democrats want to successfully take back the House of Representatives, this seat will be crucial to their path to control.Minnesota 5th Congressional District: DNC vice chair Keith Ellison won this seat in 2007 and became the first Muslim-American elected to Congress and may be succeeded by the first Muslim woman elected to Congress.

Ellison stepped aside to run for Minnesota attorney general and the local Democratic-Farmer-Labor party has endorsed state Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Somali-born hijab-wearing refugee. Omar has run on a strongly progressive platform and has faced controversy for her criticism of Israel, but is favored in her primary race.

Four other candidates, including state Sen. Patricia Torres Ray and former State House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, are also running in the Democratic primary.

Three Republicans are running in the primary but will face a tough battle in a seat where Ellison won his last election with 69 percent of the vote.

Wisconsin 1st Congressional District: While Republicans need to defend all the seats they can in 2018, losing this seat would be especially painful as it currently belongs to Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.

Ryan is not running for re-election and six Republicans have jumped into the race. Ryan has endorsed former staffer Bryan Steil, but arguably the most prominent candidate among Republicans is Paul Nehlen, who lost the support of the conservative website Breitbart for his white supremacist views and anti-Semitic comments.

Democrats have a pair of candidates in teacher Cathy Myers and ironworker Randy Bryce, but the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has backed Bryce, who has raised nearly $5 million in his campaign. Bryce, an army veteran who has gained national attention, has earned also earned the support of Sen. Bernie Sanders.

The district swung Trump’s way in 2016 thanks to the support of its substantial white working-class population, but if Bryce wins, Democrats may be able to rely on his background as an ironworker and his pro-labor policies to earn enough support to flip the seat.

Governorships and U.S. Senate seats are up in all four states holding primaries, and both parties are again watching to see which candidates emerge victorious and advance to November. A combined 22 U.S. House seats are also at stake in the states voting Tuesday, many of which could factor heavily into the balance of power in Congress' lower chamber this fall.

Here's a look at some of the key storylines and races the ABC News Politics team will be watching on Tuesday.

Wisconsin a political barometer of the Midwest

Donald Trump's 2016 victory in Wisconsin was the first for a Republican presidential candidate since 1984, and now the state faces yet another test of its political identity on Tuesday.

Gov. Scott Walker is running for a third full term this cycle, which presents yet another chance for Democrats to defeat the former presidential candidate and longtime foe. The Democratic primary is a crowded and complicated field of eight candidates all vying to take on Walker and flip one of a number of Midwestern gubernatorial seats that fallen out of their grasp in recent years.

The top candidates on the Democratic side include Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers, former state lawmaker Kelda Roys, the African-American leader of a state firefighters union, Mahlon Mitchell, former state Democratic Party chair Matt Flynn, Madison Mayor Paul Soglin and state lawmaker Kathleen Vineout. Whoever emerges from the crowd Tuesday has a tall task in unseating Walker, who alongside the state GOP has built a powerful infrastructure in the state that has allowed him to win two full terms and survive a recall election in 2012.

Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin is also up for re-election this cycle, and the GOP primary to take her on in November has been a bitter battle between state lawmaker Leah Vukmir and U.S. Marine Corps veteran Kevin Nicholson.

Vukmir won the endorsement of the state GOP last month and has the backing of House Speaker Paul Ryan, while Nicholson has attempted to paint himself as a political outsider taking on a party insider. Hope for Democratic victories in the state were bolstered by special election wins in a state Supreme Court race and for a number of state senate seats, and losing Baldwin's seat would be a large blow to the party's hopes of taking back control of the U.S. Senate.

The liberal Baldwin, the Senate's first openly gay member, is one of 10 Democratic incumbents up this cycle in a state that Donald Trump won in the 2016 presidential election.

GOP on offense in Minnesota

While Republicans are likely to lose a number of U.S. House seats this cycle, the state of Minnesota presents the GOP a rare chance to go on offense in a year where they are almost exclusively playing political defense.

The retirement of Rep. Rick Nolan in the state's 8th Congressional District and the decision by Rep. Tim Walz in the state's 1st Congressional District to run for governor has given Republicans hopes that they could gain seats in a year where the national political environment is less than favorable.

While Donald Trump narrowly lost Minnesota in the 2016 election, he carried both the 1st and 8th congressional districts by more than 15 points -- another factor that makes these open-seat races highly competitive. Army veteran Dan Feehan, a former acting assistant secretary of Defense in the Obama administration, is the candidate with the backing of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party and is on the DCCC’s “Red to Blue” list for top-tier candidates.

The Republican race in the 1st District is between state Sen. Carla Nelson and Jim Hagedorn, who has been the GOP nominee against Walz the last two cycle.

Democrats have held the 8th District in all but one congressional election since Harry Truman’s administration -- Republicans held it from 2011 to 2013, but with voters leaning to Trump, it may open the door for the GOP.

(MORE: Bredesen, Blackburn win Tennessee primary elections for Senate)Five Democrats have run to succeed Nolan, including Nolan’s former campaign manager Joe Radinovich. State Rep. Jason Metsa leads all Democrats in total fundraising. Republican candidate Pete Stauber, who campaigned with and has the backing of President Trump, leads the field in fundraising and will face former Duluth school board member Harry Welty.Vermont Democrats poised to make history

Phil Scott has cemented himself among the rare breed of popular Northeast Republican governors and is in solid position to win re-election this cycle.

But Scott's popularity will likely not stop Democrats in the state from making history by nominating Christine Hallquist, who would be the nation's first transgender woman to hold a governor's seat if she is able to win Tuesday's primary and pull an upset against Scott in November.

Hallquist, 62, is the former chief executive of the Vermont Electric Cooperative and said she is seeking to utilize both her local experience and national profile in a potential race against Scott.

"That’s how I want to be known in Vermont," Hallquist said of he progressive platform and executive experience in a recent interview with the Associated Press, "Nationally, I want to be known as the first trans candidate."

Other key races to watch:

Connecticut governor: In a counter to the conventional wisdom that Democrats have the advantage in 2018, the Nutmeg State may provide an opportunity for Republicans to make inroads in a typically blue state.

Incumbent Democratic Gov. Dan Malloy leaves office as one of the least popular governors in the nation, and several Republicans are trying to take advantage. The GOP primary has seen a similar embrace of Trump that we've seen in races across the country, but there's no way to know how that strategy will play out in a state that is deep blue in presidential cycles, but much more purple in gubernatorial races and off-year elections.

Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, who fell short in a run for the Republican nomination for Governor in 2014, has the backing of the Republican Party in advance of the primary and is running against former nominee for state treasurer, Tim Herbst, and businessmen Stephen Obsitnik, David Stemerman and Bob Stefanowski.

Democrats have backed a familiar name in state politics in businessman Ned Lamont, who ran for U.S. Senate in 2006 in a challenge to then-Senator Joe Lieberman. Lamont has the state party’s backing, but will have to defeat Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim.Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District: In the Connecticut district that includes some of the most Republican parts of the state, Democratic Rep. Elizabeth Esty is stepping aside after allegations that her chief of staff committed sexual assault.

Democrats have endorsed Mary Glassman, a former lieutenant governor candidate who served as First Selectman-- a similar position to mayor in other states-- of Simsbury. She will face Jahana Hayes, a former National Teacher of the Year and first-time candidate who received encouragement to run from Sen. Chris Murphy. Murphy, however, has not issued a formal endorsement in the race.

Republicans may have the opportunity to pick up their first congressional victory in the state in a decade, with three candidates throwing their hats in the ring for the seat-- former Meriden mayor Manny Santos, businessman Rich DuPont and retired professor Ruby Corby O’Neill.

Minnesota governor: The Land of Ten Thousand Lakes is another spot where Republicans will potentially be able to reverse the tide of the “Blue Wave,” as they may be able to ride the name recognition of a former Governor who wants another crack at the office.

Tim Pawlenty, former governor and Republican presidential candidate, has decided to run for his old job, but has stumbled a bit in the early going. Pawlenty lost the party endorsement to Jeff Johnson, the previous nominee in 2014, but is still favored in Tuesday’s primary.

If Pawlenty withstands Johnson’s challenge, he will face a tough battle against the winner of a Democratic-Farmer-Labor primary with several viable candidates. The focus, however, has been on the late decision by Attorney General Lori Swanson to run for governor, a move that triggered Rep. Keith Ellison to run for the newly open Attorney General post.

Swanson faces a difficult primary against Rep. Tim Walz, who decided to run for governor over re-election in the 1st district. Along with two high-profile candidates, the state Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party added an additional wrinkle when it endorsed the bid of state representative Erin Murphy, who supports a statewide single-payer healthcare system.

Democrats may have a slight advantage, as Republicans have not won a statewide election in over a decade, but considering that Trump came within 2 percentage points of winning the state in 2016, Republicans may have a fighting chance.

Minnesota U.S. Senate Special Election: Democrats will have a relative advantage in both of their Senate elections, as in addition to popular Senator Amy Klobuchar running for her regularly scheduled re-election, there will also be a special election to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Al Franken.

Sen. Tina Smith, appointed to the seat earlier this year, is facing an unconventional primary challenge from Richard Painter, a former White House ethics lawyer for George W. Bush. Painter, a former Republican, has become a vocal anti-Trump voice on Twitter and has leveraged his social media presence during his campaign.

Smith, however, has the endorsement of most Democratic leaders in the state as well as from Senate colleague Elizabeth Warren.

Republicans have a three-way primary, but the only candidate who has filed contributions with the FEC has been state senator Karin Housley.

Minnesota 2nd Congressional District: Incumbent Rep. Jason Lewis could have a more challenging re-election bid now that a CNN report has unearthed Lewis’ previous statements. Lewis referred to women as sluts and that African-Americans have an “entitlement mentality.”

The general election is all set, however, as no Republican is running against Lewis. Presumptive Democratic nominee Angie Craig will likely attempt to take advantage of Lewis’ attacks for the general election campaign, as she is running unopposed. Craig has been backed by progressive organizations including EMILY’s List and the Human Rights Campaign.

Both Democrats and Republicans have listed the race as a target for extra funds, which makes sense for a largely suburban district that has been decided by one point or less in the last two presidential elections -- Obama won it in 2012 while Trump won it in 2016.Minnesota 3rd Congressional District: Democrats have identified Republican Rep. Erik Paulsen’s seat as a potential target, as the 3rd district has backed Democrats in the last three presidential elections.

Paulsen has continued to survive in the suburban Twin Cities districts with a relatively moderate voting record and has distanced himself from Trump.

Democrats will seek to take advantage of a relatively favorable electorate in the 3rd District and have given extra financial support to Dean Phillips, the owner of a local coffee chain. Phillips has run on a progressive platform including Medicare-for-All and ending Citizens United.

If Democrats want to successfully take back the House of Representatives, this seat will be crucial to their path to control.Minnesota 5th Congressional District: DNC vice chair Keith Ellison won this seat in 2007 and became the first Muslim-American elected to Congress and may be succeeded by the first Muslim woman elected to Congress.

Ellison stepped aside to run for Minnesota attorney general and the local Democratic-Farmer-Labor party has endorsed state Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Somali-born hijab-wearing refugee. Omar has run on a strongly progressive platform and has faced controversy for her criticism of Israel, but is favored in her primary race.

Four other candidates, including state Sen. Patricia Torres Ray and former State House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, are also running in the Democratic primary.

Three Republicans are running in the primary but will face a tough battle in a seat where Ellison won his last election with 69 percent of the vote.

Wisconsin 1st Congressional District: While Republicans need to defend all the seats they can in 2018, losing this seat would be especially painful as it currently belongs to Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.

Ryan is not running for re-election and six Republicans have jumped into the race. Ryan has endorsed former staffer Bryan Steil, but arguably the most prominent candidate among Republicans is Paul Nehlen, who lost the support of the conservative website Breitbart for his white supremacist views and anti-Semitic comments.

Democrats have a pair of candidates in teacher Cathy Myers and ironworker Randy Bryce, but the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has backed Bryce, who has raised nearly $5 million in his campaign. Bryce, an army veteran who has gained national attention, has earned also earned the support of Sen. Bernie Sanders.

The district swung Trump’s way in 2016 thanks to the support of its substantial white working-class population, but if Bryce wins, Democrats may be able to rely on his background as an ironworker and his pro-labor policies to earn enough support to flip the seat.

Ethan Sonneborn, 14, is on the ballot Tuesday, just a few weeks before he is set to begin his freshman year of high school.

“Just about everywhere I go people think what we’re doing is important,” he told ABC News. “We need to have leadership that’s listening to Vermonters instead of having leadership that makes Vermonters listen.”

Sonneborn’s primary comes among a surge in youth participation in politics. Last week, a group of teenagers ran in the Republican and Democratic gubernatorial primaries in Kansas.

Vermont has no minimum age requirement to run for governor; a candidate only has to have lived in the state for four years. Vermont’s secretary of state office said that no other minor in recent history has run for governor.

Sonneborn is running on a progressive platform, supporting a carbon tax, a higher minimum wage and a worker’s bill of rights. On his campaign website, he calls himself a “proud backer” of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ "Medicare-for-All" legislation.

The 14-year-old has been involved interested in politics for as long as he can remember, recently serving as a legislative page in Vermont’s legislature.

“I’ve been an activist pretty much my whole life,” he said. “I’ve been active in my community on issues that I’ve cared about.”

Sonneborn has been traveling the state, talking to Vermonters about the issues. He said that “almost nobody” in the state has told him he’s too young to run for governor, although there have been a few internet hecklers.

Sarah Anders, a spokeswoman for James Ehlers, another Democratic candidate for governor, said that Ehlers “admires Ethan’s engagement on the issues and his activism as a young person and feels that Ethan has elevated the discourse throughout the course of the gubernatorial primary.”

His parents haven’t had a huge influence on his campaign, which has been mostly self-driven. While they knew their son was interested in running for governor, they didn’t know when he announced he was running.

Sonneborn has endorsed candidates for the legislature and participated in a gubernatorial candidate forums.

Kate LaRose, a candidate for the Vermont House of Representatives, said she was honored to have Sonneborn's endorsement.

“Ethan’s campaign and the issues he champions provide a needed response in this atmosphere—revival, interest, and youth engagement, while building our the bench strength of our democracy for years to come,” she told ABC News in a statement. “I’ve no doubt he’ll be the youngest governor of Vermont someday.”

Ethan Sonneborn, 14, is on the ballot Tuesday, just a few weeks before he is set to begin his freshman year of high school.

“Just about everywhere I go people think what we’re doing is important,” he told ABC News. “We need to have leadership that’s listening to Vermonters instead of having leadership that makes Vermonters listen.”

Sonneborn’s primary comes among a surge in youth participation in politics. Last week, a group of teenagers ran in the Republican and Democratic gubernatorial primaries in Kansas.

Vermont has no minimum age requirement to run for governor; a candidate only has to have lived in the state for four years. Vermont’s secretary of state office said that no other minor in recent history has run for governor.

Sonneborn is running on a progressive platform, supporting a carbon tax, a higher minimum wage and a worker’s bill of rights. On his campaign website, he calls himself a “proud backer” of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ "Medicare-for-All" legislation.

The 14-year-old has been involved interested in politics for as long as he can remember, recently serving as a legislative page in Vermont’s legislature.

“I’ve been an activist pretty much my whole life,” he said. “I’ve been active in my community on issues that I’ve cared about.”

Sonneborn has been traveling the state, talking to Vermonters about the issues. He said that “almost nobody” in the state has told him he’s too young to run for governor, although there have been a few internet hecklers.

Sarah Anders, a spokeswoman for James Ehlers, another Democratic candidate for governor, said that Ehlers “admires Ethan’s engagement on the issues and his activism as a young person and feels that Ethan has elevated the discourse throughout the course of the gubernatorial primary.”

His parents haven’t had a huge influence on his campaign, which has been mostly self-driven. While they knew their son was interested in running for governor, they didn’t know when he announced he was running.

Sonneborn has endorsed candidates for the legislature and participated in a gubernatorial candidate forums.

Kate LaRose, a candidate for the Vermont House of Representatives, said she was honored to have Sonneborn's endorsement.

“Ethan’s campaign and the issues he champions provide a needed response in this atmosphere—revival, interest, and youth engagement, while building our the bench strength of our democracy for years to come,” she told ABC News in a statement. “I’ve no doubt he’ll be the youngest governor of Vermont someday.”

The Apprentice contestant turned White House aide Manigault Newman has alleged that multiple former Trump Administration aides have been taking money for their silence since leaving their posts, a hush money payment under the guise of a no-show job that she says she turned down.

"They were not offering me a real job," Manigault Newman told NBC on Sunday. “They didn't really care if I showed up. In fact, there are several former employees from the White House who actually signed this agreement, who are all being paid $15,000 for their silence.”

Federal election filings reviewed by ABC News support her allegations that payments were made but do not indicate whether the payments were contingent on signing some kind of nondisclosure agreement.

All Trump campaign staffers were required to sign a nondisclosure agreement upon joining the campaign. After Trump took office, some White House staffers signed similar agreements, but it is unclear how enforceable such agreements would be for government employees.

A number of former Trump aides – including two who served in sensitive positions in the White House – have been paid roughly $15,000 per month by either the Trump campaign, the Republican National Committee or America First PAC, a political action committee dedicated to Trump’s re-election for various services described only briefly in filings.

Campaign or party coffers made monthly payments to former director of Oval Office operations Keith Schiller for “security services,” former personal assistant to the president John McEntee for “payroll,” former digital media director of the Trump campaign Brad Parscale for “digital consulting [and] management consulting” and former director of advertising for the Trump campaign Gary Coby for “media services [and] consulting.”

Neither the White House nor the Trump campaign has directly addressed the hush-money claim, but White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders broadly called Manigault Newman, who is currently promoting her forthcoming book, a disgruntled ex-employee who was spreading “lies and false accusations.”

One of Sanders’ predecessors behind the podium, however, did address the accusations and was similarly forceful in his denial. Manigault Newman alleged that Trump’s former press secretary Sean Spicer signed a non-disclosure agreement similar to the one she was offered, which Manigault Newman says would have prohibited her from making any comments that could damage the president.

"Which is why Sean Spicer described Donald Trump as a unicorn jumping over rainbows,” Manigault Newman told NBC News. “It’s because he signed this same agreement."

Spicer called her claims "completely fictional," telling ABC News that he did not sign a non-disclosure agreement and called her assertion that he was paid hush money "false." There are no listings in federal election reports showing payments to Sean Spicer or RigWill LLC, his communications consulting firm.

Records show a number of payments to former Trump aides – or firms owned and operated by former Trump aides – who have been tied to some of the recent scandals plaguing the White House.

The RNC has been paying KS Global Group, Schiller’s private security firm, $15,000 per month since Schiller left government in October of 2017, according to the records. Schiller, the longtime Trump security adviser, was interviewed by congressional investigators as part of their ongoing probe into Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 elections, where he answered questions about Trump’s now infamous 2013 trip to Moscow.

The RNC has said the payments were for Schiller’s help in preparing for the 2020 national political convention, but Schiller could not be reached for comment.

The Trump campaign has been paying McEntee about $14,000 per month since he left the White House in March over what sources said were “issues with his security clearance.” McEntee, who shadowed the president during much of his first term as Trump’s “body man,” was hired by the campaign within hours of being escorted from the White House.

McEntee declined to comment, but sources familiar with his role say he was working on voter engagement, surrogate messaging and campaign event planning but recently told campaign officials he intends to leave his job at the end of this month.

America First PAC, the political action committee backing Trump, and the RNC have paid Parscale, the former head of the 2016 campaign’s digital media outreach effort, who is now the campaign manager for Trump’s nascent reelection bid, in 15 separate payments of $15,000 from March 2017 to June 2018.

The RNC also made monthly $15,000 payments between mid-2017 and mid-2018, amid several other sizabale payments, to Direct Persuasion, a consulting firm owned by Gary Coby, a former RNC digital specialist who helped manage online advertising during the 2016 campaign.

The social media outreach efforts that Parscale and Coby worked on have since become a focus of the ongoing special counsel and congressional investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 elections.

A campaign official said the payments to Parscale were not related to a “hush agreement” and were for “services rendered” but would not elaborate on what those services were. Parscale, like many other campaign officials, signed a non-disclosure agreement.

Coby declined to comment, but a source familiar with Coby’s work at the RNC were for actual digital advertising advice, not for his silence.

The Apprentice contestant turned White House aide Manigault Newman has alleged that multiple former Trump Administration aides have been taking money for their silence since leaving their posts, a hush money payment under the guise of a no-show job that she says she turned down.

"They were not offering me a real job," Manigault Newman told NBC on Sunday. “They didn't really care if I showed up. In fact, there are several former employees from the White House who actually signed this agreement, who are all being paid $15,000 for their silence.”

Federal election filings reviewed by ABC News support her allegations that payments were made but do not indicate whether the payments were contingent on signing some kind of nondisclosure agreement.

All Trump campaign staffers were required to sign a nondisclosure agreement upon joining the campaign. After Trump took office, some White House staffers signed similar agreements, but it is unclear how enforceable such agreements would be for government employees.

A number of former Trump aides – including two who served in sensitive positions in the White House – have been paid roughly $15,000 per month by either the Trump campaign, the Republican National Committee or America First PAC, a political action committee dedicated to Trump’s re-election for various services described only briefly in filings.

Campaign or party coffers made monthly payments to former director of Oval Office operations Keith Schiller for “security services,” former personal assistant to the president John McEntee for “payroll,” former digital media director of the Trump campaign Brad Parscale for “digital consulting [and] management consulting” and former director of advertising for the Trump campaign Gary Coby for “media services [and] consulting.”

Neither the White House nor the Trump campaign has directly addressed the hush-money claim, but White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders broadly called Manigault Newman, who is currently promoting her forthcoming book, a disgruntled ex-employee who was spreading “lies and false accusations.”

One of Sanders’ predecessors behind the podium, however, did address the accusations and was similarly forceful in his denial. Manigault Newman alleged that Trump’s former press secretary Sean Spicer signed a non-disclosure agreement similar to the one she was offered, which Manigault Newman says would have prohibited her from making any comments that could damage the president.

"Which is why Sean Spicer described Donald Trump as a unicorn jumping over rainbows,” Manigault Newman told NBC News. “It’s because he signed this same agreement."

Spicer called her claims "completely fictional," telling ABC News that he did not sign a non-disclosure agreement and called her assertion that he was paid hush money "false." There are no listings in federal election reports showing payments to Sean Spicer or RigWill LLC, his communications consulting firm.

Records show a number of payments to former Trump aides – or firms owned and operated by former Trump aides – who have been tied to some of the recent scandals plaguing the White House.

The RNC has been paying KS Global Group, Schiller’s private security firm, $15,000 per month since Schiller left government in October of 2017, according to the records. Schiller, the longtime Trump security adviser, was interviewed by congressional investigators as part of their ongoing probe into Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 elections, where he answered questions about Trump’s now infamous 2013 trip to Moscow.

The RNC has said the payments were for Schiller’s help in preparing for the 2020 national political convention, but Schiller could not be reached for comment.

The Trump campaign has been paying McEntee about $14,000 per month since he left the White House in March over what sources said were “issues with his security clearance.” McEntee, who shadowed the president during much of his first term as Trump’s “body man,” was hired by the campaign within hours of being escorted from the White House.

McEntee declined to comment, but sources familiar with his role say he was working on voter engagement, surrogate messaging and campaign event planning but recently told campaign officials he intends to leave his job at the end of this month.

America First PAC, the political action committee backing Trump, and the RNC have paid Parscale, the former head of the 2016 campaign’s digital media outreach effort, who is now the campaign manager for Trump’s nascent reelection bid, in 15 separate payments of $15,000 from March 2017 to June 2018.

The RNC also made monthly $15,000 payments between mid-2017 and mid-2018, amid several other sizabale payments, to Direct Persuasion, a consulting firm owned by Gary Coby, a former RNC digital specialist who helped manage online advertising during the 2016 campaign.

The social media outreach efforts that Parscale and Coby worked on have since become a focus of the ongoing special counsel and congressional investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 elections.

A campaign official said the payments to Parscale were not related to a “hush agreement” and were for “services rendered” but would not elaborate on what those services were. Parscale, like many other campaign officials, signed a non-disclosure agreement.

Coby declined to comment, but a source familiar with Coby’s work at the RNC were for actual digital advertising advice, not for his silence.

Peter Strzok was fired on Friday after serving in the FBI for 21 years, his lawyer Aitan Goelman said in a statement.

"Deeply saddened by this decision," Strzok posted Monday on Twitter. "It has been an honor to serve my country and work with the fine men and women of the FBI."

Goelman said Strzok's firing "departed from established precedent by firing" Strzok, especially because the deputy director's decision to terminate Strzok went even further than the recommendation of the FBI's ethics office.

Strzok's public profile reached a tipping point in July when, during an open hearing, Republicans on the House Judiciary and Oversight committees got their first opportunity to publicly press him on a slew of anti-Trump text messages he sent in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election. At the time of those text messages, Strzok was leading the FBI's probe of Russia's meddling in the election.

Strzok also helped lead the FBI's probe of Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server, and Republicans have insisted Strzok's role in both cases raises questions over whether the probes were tainted by politics.

On Monday, Goelman said Strzok's firing "should be deeply troubling to all Americans."

"A lengthy investigation and multiple rounds of Congressional testimony failed to produce a shred of evidence that Special Agent Strzok’s personal views ever affected his work," Goelman said in the statement.

"In fact, in his decades of service, Special Agent Strzok has proved himself to be one of the country’s top counterintelligence officers, leading to only one conclusion – the decision to terminate was taken in response to political pressure, and to punish Special Agent Strzok for political speech protected by the First Amendment, not on a fair and independent examination of the facts. It is a decision that produces only one winner - those who seek to harm our country and weaken our democracy," the statement said.

President Donald Trump has publicly criticized Strzok in the past and weighed in on the news of his firing.

"Agent Peter Strzok was just fired from the FBI - finally. The list of bad players in the FBI & DOJ gets longer & longer. Based on the fact that Strzok was in charge of the Witch Hunt, will it be dropped? It is a total Hoax. No Collusion, No Obstruction - I just fight back!" he wrote in the first of two tweets Monday.

"Just fired Agent Strzok, formerly of the FBI, was in charge of the Crooked Hillary Clinton sham investigation. It was a total fraud on the American public and should be properly redone!" Trump wrote in the second tweet.

During his testimony to the House panel last month, Strzok told chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Virginia: "I can assure, Mr. Chairman, at no time, in any of these texts, did those personal beliefs ever enter into the realm of any action I took."

"This isn't just me sitting here telling you – you don't have to take my word for it," Strzok continued. "At every step, at every investigative decision, there were multiple layers of people above me -- assistant director, executive assistant director, deputy director, and the director – and multiple layers of people below me ... all of whom were involved in all of these decisions. They would not tolerate any improper behavior in me any more than I would tolerate it in them. that is who we are as the FBI. And the suggestion that I in some dark chamber somewhere in the FBI would somehow cast aside all of these procedures, all of these safeguards, and somehow be able to do this, is astounding to me. It simply couldn't happen. And the proposition that that is going on, that it might occur in the FBI, deeply corrodes what the FBI is in American society, the effectiveness of their mission, and it is deeply destructive."

After news of Strzok's firing on Monday, Goodlatte's son took to Twitter to praise Strzok as a "patriot" and condemn his father's behavior.

"I’m deeply embarrassed that Peter Strzok’s career was ruined by my father’s political grandstanding," Bobby Goodlatte wrote. "That committee hearing was a low point for Congress."

]]>Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- The FBI agent who came under scrutiny for anti-Trump texts he sent from a work phone during the 2016 presidential campaign has now been fired, according to his lawyer.

Peter Strzok was fired on Friday after serving in the FBI for 21 years, his lawyer Aitan Goelman said in a statement.

"Deeply saddened by this decision," Strzok posted Monday on Twitter. "It has been an honor to serve my country and work with the fine men and women of the FBI."

Goelman said Strzok's firing "departed from established precedent by firing" Strzok, especially because the deputy director's decision to terminate Strzok went even further than the recommendation of the FBI's ethics office.

Strzok's public profile reached a tipping point in July when, during an open hearing, Republicans on the House Judiciary and Oversight committees got their first opportunity to publicly press him on a slew of anti-Trump text messages he sent in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election. At the time of those text messages, Strzok was leading the FBI's probe of Russia's meddling in the election.

Strzok also helped lead the FBI's probe of Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server, and Republicans have insisted Strzok's role in both cases raises questions over whether the probes were tainted by politics.

On Monday, Goelman said Strzok's firing "should be deeply troubling to all Americans."

"A lengthy investigation and multiple rounds of Congressional testimony failed to produce a shred of evidence that Special Agent Strzok’s personal views ever affected his work," Goelman said in the statement.

"In fact, in his decades of service, Special Agent Strzok has proved himself to be one of the country’s top counterintelligence officers, leading to only one conclusion – the decision to terminate was taken in response to political pressure, and to punish Special Agent Strzok for political speech protected by the First Amendment, not on a fair and independent examination of the facts. It is a decision that produces only one winner - those who seek to harm our country and weaken our democracy," the statement said.

President Donald Trump has publicly criticized Strzok in the past and weighed in on the news of his firing.

"Agent Peter Strzok was just fired from the FBI - finally. The list of bad players in the FBI & DOJ gets longer & longer. Based on the fact that Strzok was in charge of the Witch Hunt, will it be dropped? It is a total Hoax. No Collusion, No Obstruction - I just fight back!" he wrote in the first of two tweets Monday.

"Just fired Agent Strzok, formerly of the FBI, was in charge of the Crooked Hillary Clinton sham investigation. It was a total fraud on the American public and should be properly redone!" Trump wrote in the second tweet.

During his testimony to the House panel last month, Strzok told chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Virginia: "I can assure, Mr. Chairman, at no time, in any of these texts, did those personal beliefs ever enter into the realm of any action I took."

"This isn't just me sitting here telling you – you don't have to take my word for it," Strzok continued. "At every step, at every investigative decision, there were multiple layers of people above me -- assistant director, executive assistant director, deputy director, and the director – and multiple layers of people below me ... all of whom were involved in all of these decisions. They would not tolerate any improper behavior in me any more than I would tolerate it in them. that is who we are as the FBI. And the suggestion that I in some dark chamber somewhere in the FBI would somehow cast aside all of these procedures, all of these safeguards, and somehow be able to do this, is astounding to me. It simply couldn't happen. And the proposition that that is going on, that it might occur in the FBI, deeply corrodes what the FBI is in American society, the effectiveness of their mission, and it is deeply destructive."

After news of Strzok's firing on Monday, Goodlatte's son took to Twitter to praise Strzok as a "patriot" and condemn his father's behavior.

"I’m deeply embarrassed that Peter Strzok’s career was ruined by my father’s political grandstanding," Bobby Goodlatte wrote. "That committee hearing was a low point for Congress."

]]>Trump calls Omarosa 'wacky' and 'vicious' after she unveils new audio tape of presidenthttp://wbch.com/news/political-news/10dca27e6fc011f855eae66be29763d0
Mon, 13 Aug 2018 18:48:00 -0500http://wbch.com/news/political-news/10dca27e6fc011f855eae66be29763d0ABC News(NEW YORK) -- Former top White House aide Omarosa Manigault Newman has released new audio that she says is a recording of President Donald Trump’s telephone call to her after Chief of Staff John Kelly fired her.

In the brief recording, which aired on NBC's “Today” show Monday, the voice Manigault Newman identified as Trump’s appears to be surprised and upset about news of her departure.

“Omarosa, what's going on? I just saw in the news you're thinking about leaving. What happened?" the voice asks Manigault Newman.

"General Kelly – General Kelly came to me and said that you guys wanted me to leave," Manigault Newman answers in the exchange.

“No. Nobody even told me about it," the person responds. "You know, they run a big operation but I didn't know it. I didn't know that. God [expletive]. I don't love you leaving at all.”

Trump lashed out against Manigault Newman over Twitter after the release of the audio, calling her "wacky" and "vicious," though also acknowledging he had initially resisted Kelly's previous attempts to oust her from the West Wing.

Earlier in the morning, White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley declined to “talk about what [Trump and Manigault Newman] talked about on the phone,” but said the “thought of doing something like that to a fellow employee, not to mention, the leader of the free world is completely disgraceful.”

“Her character and her integrity have been impugned beyond measure,” Gidley said in an interview with “Fox and Friends” Monday.

The audio release comes a day after Manigault Newman released audio she said was of her firing by Kelly inside the White House Situation Room.

Manigault Newman served as the White House director of communications for the Office of Public Liaison from January to mid-December of 2017 but has been unsparing in her criticism of the president since her departure.

In recent interviews, she has described her former boss and “Apprentice” co-star as "unhinged" and "racist."

Trump reacted Saturday to Manigault Newman's media tour before the release of her coming tell-all book, calling her a "low-life."

In a sit-down interview after the release of her new audio, Manigault Newman took on a defensive posture, fashioning herself as a whistleblower and warning her former White House colleagues “they should be concerned” about revelations still to come out of her book and media tour.

“There's a lot of very corrupt things happening in the White House, and I am going to blow the whistle on a lot of this,” Manigault Newman said.

Manigault Newman said she didn’t know whether the president was as genuinely surprised by her firing as he appeared to sound on the tape but also said it should be alarming to Americans if the president truly didn’t know whether his chief of staff is ousting a top member of the White House without first informing him.

“As we heard on the recording you just played, he doesn't even know what's happening in the White House,” Manigault Newman said. “General Kelly, John Kelly is running the White House and Donald Trump has no clue what's going on. He's being puppeted. That's very dangerous to this nation.”

Gidley, when asked on “Fox and Friends” Monday whether the president was as unaware of Manigault Newman’s firing as he appeared to sound on the tape, the deputy press secretary declined to comment on the “tick tock” of how she was dismissed.

The president later retweeted his now-estranged former fixer and lawyer Michael Cohen, who says a claim by Manigault Newman that the president ate a note from him is false.

Trump and his legal team have also recently disputed Cohen's claim that then-candidate Trump knew in advance of a 2016 Trump Tower meeting between his son Donald Trump Jr and Russians promising dirt on Hillary Clinton.

]]>ABC News(NEW YORK) -- Former top White House aide Omarosa Manigault Newman has released new audio that she says is a recording of President Donald Trump’s telephone call to her after Chief of Staff John Kelly fired her.

In the brief recording, which aired on NBC's “Today” show Monday, the voice Manigault Newman identified as Trump’s appears to be surprised and upset about news of her departure.

“Omarosa, what's going on? I just saw in the news you're thinking about leaving. What happened?" the voice asks Manigault Newman.

"General Kelly – General Kelly came to me and said that you guys wanted me to leave," Manigault Newman answers in the exchange.

“No. Nobody even told me about it," the person responds. "You know, they run a big operation but I didn't know it. I didn't know that. God [expletive]. I don't love you leaving at all.”

Trump lashed out against Manigault Newman over Twitter after the release of the audio, calling her "wacky" and "vicious," though also acknowledging he had initially resisted Kelly's previous attempts to oust her from the West Wing.

Earlier in the morning, White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley declined to “talk about what [Trump and Manigault Newman] talked about on the phone,” but said the “thought of doing something like that to a fellow employee, not to mention, the leader of the free world is completely disgraceful.”

“Her character and her integrity have been impugned beyond measure,” Gidley said in an interview with “Fox and Friends” Monday.

The audio release comes a day after Manigault Newman released audio she said was of her firing by Kelly inside the White House Situation Room.

Manigault Newman served as the White House director of communications for the Office of Public Liaison from January to mid-December of 2017 but has been unsparing in her criticism of the president since her departure.

In recent interviews, she has described her former boss and “Apprentice” co-star as "unhinged" and "racist."

Trump reacted Saturday to Manigault Newman's media tour before the release of her coming tell-all book, calling her a "low-life."

In a sit-down interview after the release of her new audio, Manigault Newman took on a defensive posture, fashioning herself as a whistleblower and warning her former White House colleagues “they should be concerned” about revelations still to come out of her book and media tour.

“There's a lot of very corrupt things happening in the White House, and I am going to blow the whistle on a lot of this,” Manigault Newman said.

Manigault Newman said she didn’t know whether the president was as genuinely surprised by her firing as he appeared to sound on the tape but also said it should be alarming to Americans if the president truly didn’t know whether his chief of staff is ousting a top member of the White House without first informing him.

“As we heard on the recording you just played, he doesn't even know what's happening in the White House,” Manigault Newman said. “General Kelly, John Kelly is running the White House and Donald Trump has no clue what's going on. He's being puppeted. That's very dangerous to this nation.”

Gidley, when asked on “Fox and Friends” Monday whether the president was as unaware of Manigault Newman’s firing as he appeared to sound on the tape, the deputy press secretary declined to comment on the “tick tock” of how she was dismissed.

The president later retweeted his now-estranged former fixer and lawyer Michael Cohen, who says a claim by Manigault Newman that the president ate a note from him is false.

Trump and his legal team have also recently disputed Cohen's claim that then-candidate Trump knew in advance of a 2016 Trump Tower meeting between his son Donald Trump Jr and Russians promising dirt on Hillary Clinton.

]]>Special counsel team wraps up in Manafort casehttp://wbch.com/news/political-news/57500f1c9724715dcadc3291da835422
Mon, 13 Aug 2018 16:39:00 -0500http://wbch.com/news/political-news/57500f1c9724715dcadc3291da835422Keith Lane/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Prosecutors with the team of special counsel Robert Mueller on Monday rested the government’s case against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, wrapping up more than two weeks of testimony alleging he hid millions of dollars offshore and failed to pay taxes on that money.

Manafort is facing a potential life sentence if he is convicted on 18 counts of financial charges, including money laundering and tax fraud. Manafort has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The case against Manafort has barely referenced his work as President Trump’s campaign chairman and has not indicated if he may fit into the larger picture of Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign that Mueller's team is investigating.

Instead, Mueller’s prosecutors have called accountants, bookkeepers, luxury vendors and Manafort’s longtime business associate, with a final group of witnesses appearing on Friday to lay out his alleged financial transgressions.

The special counsel was planning on resting the case last week, but after a long delay on Friday the court closed shop with one witness left for Monday. The cause of the delay is not known.

One of Mueller's last witnesses on Monday was a mortgage banker with Federal Savings Bank, which loaned money to Manafort in 2016. According to Mueller’s team, the bank’s founder and CEO Stephen Calk was given an unpaid advisory role in the Trump campaign after dining with Manafort. Prosecutors said Calk unsuccessfully sought a larger role in the Trump administration. The bank wrote in a statement to ABC News in April that the allegations are "simply not true."

An array of witnesses over the past two weeks backed the special counsel’s claim that Manafort evaded taxes on $60 million earned from overseas lobbying and consulting work for a Russian-backed Ukrainian political party.

Earlier this week, Mueller’s star witness and Manafort’s longtime business partner Rick Gates admitted depositing millions of dollars in offshore accounts to hide income from U.S. tax collectors.

Manafort’s defense team previewed the case it is expected to launch formally next week, by blaming the financial irregularities on Gates. Under tough cross-examination from defense attorneys, Gates maintained that every action he took came at Manafort's direction. The defense also pushed Gates to address allegations that he embezzled "several hundred thousand" dollars from Manafort to finance an apartment in London where Gates had an extra-marital affair.

The defense team is expected soon to identify its witness list, and attorneys declined to say Friday whether they plan to allow Manafort to take the stand in his own defense. Legal experts have told ABC News that is extremely unlikely.

The two parties are expected to present closing arguments on this week, and then determine final jury instructions. Both sides have told ABC News they intend to stay in the vicinity of the courthouse until a verdict is reached.

]]>Keith Lane/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Prosecutors with the team of special counsel Robert Mueller on Monday rested the government’s case against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, wrapping up more than two weeks of testimony alleging he hid millions of dollars offshore and failed to pay taxes on that money.

Manafort is facing a potential life sentence if he is convicted on 18 counts of financial charges, including money laundering and tax fraud. Manafort has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The case against Manafort has barely referenced his work as President Trump’s campaign chairman and has not indicated if he may fit into the larger picture of Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign that Mueller's team is investigating.

Instead, Mueller’s prosecutors have called accountants, bookkeepers, luxury vendors and Manafort’s longtime business associate, with a final group of witnesses appearing on Friday to lay out his alleged financial transgressions.

The special counsel was planning on resting the case last week, but after a long delay on Friday the court closed shop with one witness left for Monday. The cause of the delay is not known.

One of Mueller's last witnesses on Monday was a mortgage banker with Federal Savings Bank, which loaned money to Manafort in 2016. According to Mueller’s team, the bank’s founder and CEO Stephen Calk was given an unpaid advisory role in the Trump campaign after dining with Manafort. Prosecutors said Calk unsuccessfully sought a larger role in the Trump administration. The bank wrote in a statement to ABC News in April that the allegations are "simply not true."

An array of witnesses over the past two weeks backed the special counsel’s claim that Manafort evaded taxes on $60 million earned from overseas lobbying and consulting work for a Russian-backed Ukrainian political party.

Earlier this week, Mueller’s star witness and Manafort’s longtime business partner Rick Gates admitted depositing millions of dollars in offshore accounts to hide income from U.S. tax collectors.

Manafort’s defense team previewed the case it is expected to launch formally next week, by blaming the financial irregularities on Gates. Under tough cross-examination from defense attorneys, Gates maintained that every action he took came at Manafort's direction. The defense also pushed Gates to address allegations that he embezzled "several hundred thousand" dollars from Manafort to finance an apartment in London where Gates had an extra-marital affair.

The defense team is expected soon to identify its witness list, and attorneys declined to say Friday whether they plan to allow Manafort to take the stand in his own defense. Legal experts have told ABC News that is extremely unlikely.

The two parties are expected to present closing arguments on this week, and then determine final jury instructions. Both sides have told ABC News they intend to stay in the vicinity of the courthouse until a verdict is reached.

]]>President Trump signs defense authorization bill, doesn't say John McCain's namehttp://wbch.com/news/political-news/cc276018a8768801e80f058fd8b2372a
Mon, 13 Aug 2018 14:35:00 -0500http://wbch.com/news/political-news/cc276018a8768801e80f058fd8b2372aAlex Wong/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Celebrating the signing of the 2019 military authorization funding bill at Fort Drum in upstate New York on Monday, President Donald Trump New York made no mention of the man whose name is attached to the legislation: John McCain.

The John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 was named in honor of the longtime Arizona senator and former prisoner of war who is chair of the Senate Armed Service Committee and currently battling brain cancer.

"I’m humbled that my colleagues in Congress chose to designate this bill in my name," McCain said in a statement from his home in Arizona where he is receiving care released soon after the bill was signed into law.

"Serving as Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and working on behalf of America's brave service members has been one of the greatest honors of my life," he said. "Through the committee’s work, I’ve been privileged to support our men and women in uniform who have dedicated their lives to that noble cause.”

In June, at the signing ceremony of the “VA MISSION Act of 2018," another bill bearing McCain's name, Trump never mentioned McCain by name. Instead he praised multiple members of Congress who were at the White House for the signing.

The 2019 defense authorization bill provides $717 billion to the military, which Trump touted as the "most significant investment in the military in modern history." But it also notably advances many of McCain's policy priorities, including tough language on Russia.

The president Trump specifically highlighted a 2.6 percent raise for military personnel authorized in the bill, telling the Army's 10th Mountain Division - one of the most-deployed divisions of the Army to Iraq and Afghanistan since 9/11 - that "we think our war-fighters deserve the equipment … they have earned with their blood, sweat and tears."

Aside from policy differences, the president has a long-running personal feud with McCain going back to the presidential campaign, when then-candidate Trump said McCain’s five years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War don’t qualify him to be called a “war hero.”

"He's not a war hero. He's a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren't captured,” Trump famously said of McCain back in 2015.

Their rocky relationship hit a low point when McCain withdrew his support of Trump as the party's nominee following the release of the "Access Hollywood" tape in October.

"When Mr. Trump attacks women and demeans the women in our nation and in our society, that is a point where I just have to part company," McCain said of his decision to drop his support of Trump.

More recently, Trump continues to fume openly about McCain’s vote against the Republican plan to repeal of President Obama’s hallmark Affordable Care Act. Trump will frequently blame “one guy” for tanking the GOP’s effort during stump speeches.

“I had Obamacare done except one guy at 2 o'clock in the morning went in and said, he went thumbs down, even though he campaigned for years repeal and replace,” the president said to the boos of the crowd earlier this month during a rally in Pennsylvania.

In reality, three Republican senators voted against the GOP repeal bill. McCain was joined by Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski.

The John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 was named in honor of the longtime Arizona senator and former prisoner of war who is chair of the Senate Armed Service Committee and currently battling brain cancer.

"I’m humbled that my colleagues in Congress chose to designate this bill in my name," McCain said in a statement from his home in Arizona where he is receiving care released soon after the bill was signed into law.

"Serving as Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and working on behalf of America's brave service members has been one of the greatest honors of my life," he said. "Through the committee’s work, I’ve been privileged to support our men and women in uniform who have dedicated their lives to that noble cause.”

In June, at the signing ceremony of the “VA MISSION Act of 2018," another bill bearing McCain's name, Trump never mentioned McCain by name. Instead he praised multiple members of Congress who were at the White House for the signing.

The 2019 defense authorization bill provides $717 billion to the military, which Trump touted as the "most significant investment in the military in modern history." But it also notably advances many of McCain's policy priorities, including tough language on Russia.

The president Trump specifically highlighted a 2.6 percent raise for military personnel authorized in the bill, telling the Army's 10th Mountain Division - one of the most-deployed divisions of the Army to Iraq and Afghanistan since 9/11 - that "we think our war-fighters deserve the equipment … they have earned with their blood, sweat and tears."

Aside from policy differences, the president has a long-running personal feud with McCain going back to the presidential campaign, when then-candidate Trump said McCain’s five years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War don’t qualify him to be called a “war hero.”

"He's not a war hero. He's a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren't captured,” Trump famously said of McCain back in 2015.

Their rocky relationship hit a low point when McCain withdrew his support of Trump as the party's nominee following the release of the "Access Hollywood" tape in October.

"When Mr. Trump attacks women and demeans the women in our nation and in our society, that is a point where I just have to part company," McCain said of his decision to drop his support of Trump.

More recently, Trump continues to fume openly about McCain’s vote against the Republican plan to repeal of President Obama’s hallmark Affordable Care Act. Trump will frequently blame “one guy” for tanking the GOP’s effort during stump speeches.

“I had Obamacare done except one guy at 2 o'clock in the morning went in and said, he went thumbs down, even though he campaigned for years repeal and replace,” the president said to the boos of the crowd earlier this month during a rally in Pennsylvania.

In reality, three Republican senators voted against the GOP repeal bill. McCain was joined by Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski.

Austin Monahan, the son of Ellison's former girlfriend Karen Monahan, shared a lengthy post on his Facebook page detailing physical abuse by the congressman during the relationship. Monahan said he saw hundreds of text messages and tweets by Ellison toward his mother that included victim shaming, bullying and threats if she publicly discussed the abuse. He also said he found a video on his mother's computer of Ellison dragging Karen Monahan off a bed and screaming profanity at her.

Ellison, a Democrat from Minnesota, unequivocally denied the abuse and said the video does not exist in a statement Sunday.

"Karen and I were in a long-term relationship which ended in 2016, and I still care deeply for her well-being," Ellison said in the statement. "This video does not exist because I never behaved in this way, and any characterization otherwise is false."

Ellison announced in June he was not running for re-election to Congress in order to run for Minnesota attorney general. The Democratic primary for attorney general, in which he faces four opponents, is Tuesday, Aug. 14.

The 55-year-old has represented the 5th Congressional District since 2007, and also serves as deputy chair of the Democratic National Committee.

"I use (sic) to believe the Democrats were the ones who would stand by a person who went through this kind of abuse, now I know both Democrats and Republicans could care less when it comes to violence toward women and girls," Austin wrote.

Austin Monahan, the son of Ellison's former girlfriend Karen Monahan, shared a lengthy post on his Facebook page detailing physical abuse by the congressman during the relationship. Monahan said he saw hundreds of text messages and tweets by Ellison toward his mother that included victim shaming, bullying and threats if she publicly discussed the abuse. He also said he found a video on his mother's computer of Ellison dragging Karen Monahan off a bed and screaming profanity at her.

Ellison, a Democrat from Minnesota, unequivocally denied the abuse and said the video does not exist in a statement Sunday.

"Karen and I were in a long-term relationship which ended in 2016, and I still care deeply for her well-being," Ellison said in the statement. "This video does not exist because I never behaved in this way, and any characterization otherwise is false."

Ellison announced in June he was not running for re-election to Congress in order to run for Minnesota attorney general. The Democratic primary for attorney general, in which he faces four opponents, is Tuesday, Aug. 14.

The 55-year-old has represented the 5th Congressional District since 2007, and also serves as deputy chair of the Democratic National Committee.

"I use (sic) to believe the Democrats were the ones who would stand by a person who went through this kind of abuse, now I know both Democrats and Republicans could care less when it comes to violence toward women and girls," Austin wrote.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders responded to Manigault Newman’s appearance on Meet the Press during which she played one of the recordings she made in the Situation Room when she was being fired after working as an assistant to President Donald Trump and director of communications for the Office of Public Liaison.

“The very idea a staff member would sneak a recording device into the White House Situation Room, shows a blatant disregard for our national security –- and then to brag about it on national television further proves the lack of character and integrity of this disgruntled former White House employee,” Sanders said.

The claims Manigault Newman made in her soon-to-be-released book have been receiving swift backlash from the people she used to work with in the West Wing.

Spicer rebutted Manigault Newman's claim that he signed a non-disclosure agreement and called her assertion that he was paid hush money "false."

He added that Manigault Newman had top secret clearance at a minimum, and she may have broken the law by recording her conversation in the Situation Room -- what's supposed to be the most secure place in the White House.

Part of applying for clearance is agreeing to security protocols.

"It's an unbelievable violation of protocol and the law," Spicer said. "You can lose your security clearance for bringing your device into SCIF -- to bring it in is a violation but to willfully record it -- you're entering a whole other realm."

Many within the White House fear Manigault Newman will release their private conversations.

"She's on a different level," a senior White House official said. "She terrified me."

Manigault Newman takes both current and former White House officials to task in her new book, "Unhinged." Now there are concerns that her allegations will have more validity backed up by tapes.

"People now understand that she has a lot," a former White House official said. "It's stopping people from punching back."

While many say they guarded themselves from Manigault Newman, some fear their tangles with her will be broadcast, and they're unsure of just how many tapes she has in possession.

"If you pissed off Omarosa, buckle up -- it's going to be a tough couple of weeks," said one former official.

Another senior White House official described Newman as unprofessional, and recalled that she would shop online during meetings.

The staffer said she witnessed Manigault Newman being verbally abusive to junior level staffers several times.

Katrina Pierson, a former Trump campaign spokeswoman, said Manigault Newman is embarrassing herself by "creating salacious lies and distortions."

On NBC's Meet the Press, Manigault Newman claimed that Pierson told her she had heard Trump say the N-word, a claim Pierson rejected.

In a statement to ABC News, Pierson said, "Omarosa is being intentionally dishonest in order to sell her new book. First, I have never heard President Trump ever use the derogatory language that Omarosa claims.

"Also, I never confirmed the existence of an alleged tape from ‘The Apprentice’ to her as she said today," the statement continued. "That’s a complete fabrication by Omarosa."

The statement continued, saying the president and his family have "always been kind, generous, thoughtful, and respectful to me and other people of color."

"I was honored when he appointed me, a single mother, as the first black National Spokeswoman for a winning U.S. presidential campaign," it read. "I feel pity for Omarosa as she embarrasses herself by creating salacious lies and distortions just to try to be relevant and enrich herself by selling books at the expense of the truth. ‘Unhinged,’ indeed."

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders responded to Manigault Newman’s appearance on Meet the Press during which she played one of the recordings she made in the Situation Room when she was being fired after working as an assistant to President Donald Trump and director of communications for the Office of Public Liaison.

“The very idea a staff member would sneak a recording device into the White House Situation Room, shows a blatant disregard for our national security –- and then to brag about it on national television further proves the lack of character and integrity of this disgruntled former White House employee,” Sanders said.

The claims Manigault Newman made in her soon-to-be-released book have been receiving swift backlash from the people she used to work with in the West Wing.

Spicer rebutted Manigault Newman's claim that he signed a non-disclosure agreement and called her assertion that he was paid hush money "false."

He added that Manigault Newman had top secret clearance at a minimum, and she may have broken the law by recording her conversation in the Situation Room -- what's supposed to be the most secure place in the White House.

Part of applying for clearance is agreeing to security protocols.

"It's an unbelievable violation of protocol and the law," Spicer said. "You can lose your security clearance for bringing your device into SCIF -- to bring it in is a violation but to willfully record it -- you're entering a whole other realm."

Many within the White House fear Manigault Newman will release their private conversations.

"She's on a different level," a senior White House official said. "She terrified me."

Manigault Newman takes both current and former White House officials to task in her new book, "Unhinged." Now there are concerns that her allegations will have more validity backed up by tapes.

"People now understand that she has a lot," a former White House official said. "It's stopping people from punching back."

While many say they guarded themselves from Manigault Newman, some fear their tangles with her will be broadcast, and they're unsure of just how many tapes she has in possession.

"If you pissed off Omarosa, buckle up -- it's going to be a tough couple of weeks," said one former official.

Another senior White House official described Newman as unprofessional, and recalled that she would shop online during meetings.

The staffer said she witnessed Manigault Newman being verbally abusive to junior level staffers several times.

Katrina Pierson, a former Trump campaign spokeswoman, said Manigault Newman is embarrassing herself by "creating salacious lies and distortions."

On NBC's Meet the Press, Manigault Newman claimed that Pierson told her she had heard Trump say the N-word, a claim Pierson rejected.

In a statement to ABC News, Pierson said, "Omarosa is being intentionally dishonest in order to sell her new book. First, I have never heard President Trump ever use the derogatory language that Omarosa claims.

"Also, I never confirmed the existence of an alleged tape from ‘The Apprentice’ to her as she said today," the statement continued. "That’s a complete fabrication by Omarosa."

The statement continued, saying the president and his family have "always been kind, generous, thoughtful, and respectful to me and other people of color."

"I was honored when he appointed me, a single mother, as the first black National Spokeswoman for a winning U.S. presidential campaign," it read. "I feel pity for Omarosa as she embarrasses herself by creating salacious lies and distortions just to try to be relevant and enrich herself by selling books at the expense of the truth. ‘Unhinged,’ indeed."

In an exclusive interview on "This Week" Sunday, Avenatti told ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl that throughout his career he has consistently stood up for working people against powerful opponents.

"There are a number of reasons I should be taken seriously,” Avenatti said. “For over 18 years, I’ve been fighting on behalf of Davids versus Goliaths, some of the largest corporations in the world, con men, fraudsters. I’ve had great success.”

"I'm a student of the law," Avenatti said. "I’m very well-versed in a lot of issues that are at the forefront of our society right now. Environmental, issues, issues relating to the Supreme Court, issues relating to working people. And so I think that that also qualifies me."

Avenatti has drawn national media attention through his outspoken representation of adult film star Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, in her lawsuit against President Donald Trump and his former lawyer, Michael Cohen.

He is now testing the waters for a potential run in 2020, including visiting Iowa on Friday to address local Democratic officials.

Karl asked the California native, “What’s the Avenatti policy issue?”

Avenatti responded, “The truth … I deal and have dealt in 18 years with facts and evidence. That’s how you’re successful as an attorney.”

When Karl pressed for policy specifics, Avenatti said he supports calls to establish 'Medicare for all' but does not go along with proposals to abolish the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE). Avenatti said the immigration enforcement agency should instead have its power curtailed.

Avenatti sided with President Trump on at least one issue, trade. “I agree with the president that there have been a number of trade deals put in place over the years that have been on one side,” he said.

The attorney has previously said he would enter the 2020 race only if he believed that none of the Democratic candidates could beat Trump. When Karl asked him his view of specific candidates, he demurred and offered instead a broad criticism of Democratic hopefuls in the past.

“I’m not going to opine as to whether I think a particular candidate can beat Donald Trump or not,” Avenatti said. “Over the years, Democrats have had a lot of very talented individuals, but they have lacked fighters."

]]>ABC News(WASHINGTON) -- Stormy Daniels' lawyer Michael Avenatti is flirting with the possibility of a presidential run and says there are “a number of reasons” he should be taken seriously as a potential Democratic candidate in 2020.

In an exclusive interview on "This Week" Sunday, Avenatti told ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl that throughout his career he has consistently stood up for working people against powerful opponents.

"There are a number of reasons I should be taken seriously,” Avenatti said. “For over 18 years, I’ve been fighting on behalf of Davids versus Goliaths, some of the largest corporations in the world, con men, fraudsters. I’ve had great success.”

"I'm a student of the law," Avenatti said. "I’m very well-versed in a lot of issues that are at the forefront of our society right now. Environmental, issues, issues relating to the Supreme Court, issues relating to working people. And so I think that that also qualifies me."

Avenatti has drawn national media attention through his outspoken representation of adult film star Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, in her lawsuit against President Donald Trump and his former lawyer, Michael Cohen.

He is now testing the waters for a potential run in 2020, including visiting Iowa on Friday to address local Democratic officials.

Karl asked the California native, “What’s the Avenatti policy issue?”

Avenatti responded, “The truth … I deal and have dealt in 18 years with facts and evidence. That’s how you’re successful as an attorney.”

When Karl pressed for policy specifics, Avenatti said he supports calls to establish 'Medicare for all' but does not go along with proposals to abolish the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE). Avenatti said the immigration enforcement agency should instead have its power curtailed.

Avenatti sided with President Trump on at least one issue, trade. “I agree with the president that there have been a number of trade deals put in place over the years that have been on one side,” he said.

The attorney has previously said he would enter the 2020 race only if he believed that none of the Democratic candidates could beat Trump. When Karl asked him his view of specific candidates, he demurred and offered instead a broad criticism of Democratic hopefuls in the past.

“I’m not going to opine as to whether I think a particular candidate can beat Donald Trump or not,” Avenatti said. “Over the years, Democrats have had a lot of very talented individuals, but they have lacked fighters."